Alternatives to Plusnet

After having an unresolved long standing problem with download speeds of around 15% of my max stable rate (that was acknowledged as being a PlusNet / BT issue); I investigated alternative services / products that I have summarised below that may of interest to the wider community when changing ISP.

Some of the factors keeping me with PlusNet were unlimited email address, PHP web pages and a fixed IP address. I found that the simplest and permanent solution to provide these features is to migrate any web pages to a hosted service. http://www.streamline.net/ provide unlimited email address with pop3 access, unlimited web space, unlimited bandwidth and PHP and SQL. The fixed IP address is easily worked around by using a free dynamic IP DNS service that will automatically point a free URL to your dynamic IP address, for example https://www.dyndns.com/ . As far as broadband is concerned I now use cable, which for me is currently four times quicker and less than half the price of PlusNet. This has an additional advantage that you can move ISP’s with ease without the need to change email addresses, web address, etc.

Another alternative is to host your own web site, ftp and mail server; this can be achieved using a UNIX based server or in its simplest form a storage gateway. - A storage gateway acts as a one box solution and provides a router, web server, ftp server, mail server, wireless access and network attached storage. An example is the Freecom FSG-3 WLAN, see http://www.freecom.com/product.asp?CatID=8070

When you do change ISP, don’t forget the cancellation period!

Regards,

Mark.

I have no pecuniary benefit in posting this information, it is intended to be of benefit to others considering alternative ISP’s.

Alternatives to Plusnet

Shame that a posting submitted for support of the Plusnet community that provided details of alternatives that might be better than that they are currently receiving, that does not mention VOIP at all, get sidelined into a relatively quiet group related to VOIP.

Alternatives to Plusnet

The "Community support forum" is dedicated to users who wish to ask for support from the community on their PlusNet products.
It is not the place to discuss alternatives to PlusNet.

I removed this thread to the "VOIP and Everything Internet" as I felt that was the best place for this discussion. This forum is not just for the discussion of VoIP issues, but everything internet.

If you have any concerns over the quality of my moderation I suggest that you take it up with one of the other moderators by PM, their details are contained in link:rules or one of the PlusNet Comms team.